Nightwalk Glasgow @ the Arches

Nightwalk is everything that’s right about Glasgow just now; multi-talented, highly original, loud and proud, if a little underground and out-of-the-way. The concept of the night was simple enough; hold an all-singing, all-dancing fashion show showcasing the creme of Glasgow sewing talent in the city’s hottest nightspot, the atmospheric Arches. Add to the mix a dance crew to open the show with ballet leaps and some seriously synchronized moves and a couple of trannies to light the night on fire with their outrageous style and you have a night to remember.

Photo: Bartosz Madejski

The execution at some points was wobbly – timing between collections tended to drag somewhat and there were a few unspeakable fashion no-no’s on the runway (unpressed garments, over-spilling model cleavage to name a few) but there was something about it that kind of fitted in. The clothes themselves were are roaring success; bar a few exceptions, what came down the runway could certainly give what’s hitting the London boardwalks this weekend a run for their money. From patterned legwear and sexy bodywear by Loula Creates to body-conscious lycra and lurex by designer like Torres and Olanic, there was also giant couture in the form of hairy shoulderpieces and crazy things made entirely of tiny cubes by Fredeick Morrison.

Photo: Bartosz Madejski

Though the models were amateur, the deigns were often far from it and the fun the girls brought to the clothes passed onto the crowd. Hosting the event in a central city nightclub was a stroke of genius; there were visible DJ spinning tunes as the show went on, giving the whole thing a party atmosphere. If there had been a few more bodies in the crowd it might have added to the atmosphere even more, but then the way of the scene here is either still fairly hush-hush or not yet widely publicized enough to draw in volumes of the right kind of clientèle. Yet the way it was speaks volumes for the fashion community that thrives in this city; it may not be world class for professional shows but the ones that happen show off some world-class clothes design and what’s more? We know how to turn it into one hell of a party.